Soham Eastern Gateway

Abstract

Between the 8th of January and the 13th of February 2018, Oxford Archaeology East (OA East) conducted an archaeological evaluation on land on the eastern edge of Soham, Cambridgeshire (centred on TL 5970 7365). This land was enclosed by Paddock Street and East Fen Common to the south-east, Qua Fen Common to the north, Brewhouse Lane to the south-west and the A142 to the north-east. The site lies within an area of high archaeological potential, located on an island in the fens that has been occupied since the Neolithic period. The evaluation consisted of the first phase of archaeological intrusive investigation across six fields. In this phase four fields were examined (Fields 2-5).
The evaluation revealed archaeological remains spanning the medieval and post-medieval periods, with additional isolated prehistoric remains. Artefacts that were recovered included 10 incomplete iron nails; Iron Age, Roman and Saxon pottery amongst a predominantly medieval assemblage of moderately abraded pottery; 18th and 19th century clay pipe fragments; medieval and post-medieval CBM with some Roman material, a small assemblage of 19th to 20th century glass; a small quantity of Mesolithic, earlier and later Neolithic and Early Bronze Age flint; 14kg of animal bone that was dominated by cattle and sheep/goat, but also included amphibian, bird and small mammal bones recovered from environmental samples. The environmental samples showed the presence of harvested crops, weeds from arable land and wetland plants.
Field 2 revealed a series of medieval strips that became gradually enlarged to become the current field. This field also contained a Late Iron Age drainage ditch.
Field 3 again contained a series of medieval ditches related to the strip field system and the later ditches utilised for the gradual process of enlarging the fields in the post-medieval period. Running across between these ditches were a series of smaller drainage ditches that fed water into the larger boundary ditches.
Field 4 again showed the medieval strips with their replacement ditches for the enclosure of the fields. These were again supplemented by smaller drainage ditches. This field also contained pits that were probably part of sand extraction in the area and a pond.
Field 5 was the quietest of the examined fields, containing only elements of the medieval strips, shown to have disappeared from the field by the time of the 1656 Tithe Map.